Pages

Monday, March 9, 2015

Learn how to use Mylar® in art quilts

I have an article on ways to use Mylar® in art quilts in the upcoming issue of Quilting Arts magazine! The April/May 2014 issue also includes work by artists Lesley Riley, Margarita Korioth, Nysha Oren Nelson, Melissa Sobotka, and more. In my article, I discuss how to use Mylar® to add shimmer and shine to both realistic subjects, and as an embellishment. If you watch “Quilting Arts TV,” you may have seen me working with Mylar in Series 1500, episode 1512. Here are some examples:

“Magpie’s Hoard” by Susan Brubaker Knapp

“Magpie’s Hoard” (detail)

On “Magpie’s Hoard,” I used crinkled Mylar® to add texture and shine. The detail shot above shows a layer of blue-ish Mylar® on top of light blue fabric, with a piece of blue fabric and then a gold piece of Mylar® and a bead on top of it. Then lots of machine and hand stitching.

“Snowflake” by Susan Brubaker Knapp

“Snowflake” (detail)

For this snowflake, I stitched on top of a piece of blue-ish Mylar® and then trimmed it away at the edges.

“Busy” by Susan Brubaker Knapp

“Busy” (detail)

And to re-create the sheen and smoothness of a bee’s wings, I used an opalescent Mylar® in “Busy.”The issue is available for pre-order now at the Quilting Daily Shop, and will be going out to subscribers, and on newsstands later this month.

I purchased my Mylar® from Heirlooms by Sharon. She provided great customer service and speedy shipping!

2 comments:

Beautiful examples and work, Susan! And I do love getting a sneak peek of wonderful goodness to come before my own copy shows up in the mailbox. Love you on Quilting Arts TV by the way. Every week, I note how everyone has color co-ordinated their outfits to work with yours, but not be the same. I love imagining guests showing up with five or six outfits and accessories to match, or do you just have a variety on set? So much fun! And that's even before the quilting begins. Love it!

Thanks, Michele! I take 13 outfits (one for every segment), plus a few extras in case the producer decides one is not working well. Then guests – who are told to bring several options – try to coordinate with me. We shoot everything out of sequence, so they can't match ahead of time.